Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: Would mid/late Oct be a decent fall trip date?
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QueticoMike |
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Blatz |
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MarshallPrime |
The cold would sure be an issue and if the leaves are already all gone by Oct 20th that would be a bummer. We are leaning towards the Granite River route. Ive done in 4 times in June and im sure it would be fun/easy route and if the cold was just too much, it would be easy to pack out and leave. The fishing is our Main Goal and is questionable then I know. thanks again for all the input. |
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carmike |
I tend to avoid the busiest areas of the BWCA, and if the weather is fine, that's a great time of year to do the Kawishiwi Trians or the Number Lakes without big crowds. |
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stevedug |
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ducks |
I've done 2 solo trips at the beginning of May before the fishing opener and several trips the 1st weekend of Oct. Before fishing opener and October are my favorite times to be in the bwca. But, you need to be prepared for the weather extremes. I've had night time lows down to 25 and daytime highs up to the mid 70's. The worst day I've had was an early Oct. day with daytime high of 33, 40mph winds, and switching between rain, sleet, and snow all day. This was the day that the tragedy happened on Alton and the couple capsized and died of hypothermia. |
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mastertangler |
I would be certain that I could access weather info. Sometimes little cheesy $10 weather radios might be mostly useless. That was the case on my recent isle royale trip. Marine radios and Ham radios prevailed and I am now interested in having something reliable........that would be particularly important on big water or a late season trip. |
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The Great Outdoors |
You can get a bunch of snow dumped on you in a short period of time that can turn a nice trip into a deadly encounter. If by chance that happens, trees get bent to the ground with a wet, heavy snow and finding portages may be impossible! Not trying to rain on your parade, just giving a friendly warning. |
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billconner |
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SevenofNine |
It comes down to your tolerance for weather, lack of daylight and foliage. |
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Tman |
Days are short. Can't comment on fishing. Weather could be a bit more extreme than some others have noted. I had two nights in the mid/low teens on a trip Oct 6-13 in 2012. One morning I had to paddle as an "icebreaker" in the narrows between Tease and North Hegman. There was a lot of ice along the shore that morning. I spent a lot of time around Mudro/Horse, etc. - busy areas. Didn't see another canoe from the morning of the 7th until the evening of the 12th. Great time to go for solitude. It can be kind of creepy quiet. Insects, frogs, and most birds are gone. The only sound can be the wind in the trees. Do it! as long as you are prepared. |
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MarshallPrime |
How would you feel about a Fall trip around Oct 20-25? If you would like decent fishing and good color on trees but still have decent weather? Is that NORMAL for this time of year or would it be too late? Would we miss all the colors usually? I know it might snow on you or leaves could turn slow or fast that year...but just in a normal year, would we still have pretty leaves and still good fishing with decent weather? I have done 13 june/july trips so I know about that but never an October trip. Just wondering. We are teachers and get a fall break around that time each year and wonder if it would be worth the 13 hour trip from INDIANA for a 4 nighter. thanks so much |
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egknuti |
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walllee |
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hawleycanoeguy |
quote MarshallPrime: "So I know there are a lot of variables...weather/wind/colors but.... ABSOLUTLEY! DO IT! I'm a teacher, and I've taken two trips to the BWCA during this time. My last BWCA trip was October 20-25, 2010! He had cold nights (temps in the mid-20's) and interesting days, which included snow, then sleet on our day heading in, a day in the upper-60's that saw the return of gnats, an overcast day in the low 50's, and a misty/rainy day in the low-mid 40's on our paddle out. What I probably liked best was being able to see the terrain with all the leaves gone---was very interesting! Days are much shorter, so you have to plan your paddling accordingly. Mornings weren't bad as we were hungry/ready to get at it when it was 28F outside. But....when you're outside....and it's DARK at 6:30PM....and you sit around the campfire for what seems like forever...and then, someone says, "Well....I'm ready to hit the hay." AND IT'S 8:15!!! There are pros/cons in terms of the cold--you don't have to worry too much about keeping food fresh, but what you wear/dress is key. We ate like kings, drank hot chocolate/coffee like crazy, even swam a couple times, heard a wolf pack on Horse Lake, and I'll say that it was one of the best times of MY LIFE!! We did the following trip: Mudro-Sandpit-Tin Can Mike-Horse (base camped for three nights--day tripped to LBF) Then...Horse-Fourtown-Mudro-home. We saw two other canoes the entire trip---a rarity considering the area we were in....but...I'd do it again in a heartbeat! I'm going up from Sept 30-Oct 4, so I'm very excited about that! I hope you're able to take the trip, too! If you're thinking about it...DO IT! You won't regret it!!! |
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jwartman59 |
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